Centrifugal clothes drier



Patented Jan. 9, 19

1 amass communal. one-runs pm I chm n. Morgemtern, St. Joseph, nncn..-u-'

liner to Nineteen flundred Corporation, Binghamton, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 27. 1931. Serial No. ram:

3 Claims. (CL 210-72) tribution of the clothes in the basket results in unbalanced centrifugal forces. These forces load the drive shaft and associated structure as a cantilever beam and cause vibration which is transmitted thru the driving means and its mounting to the frame of the machine. In order to lessen vibration of the machine, the driving means for the spinner has been provided with a resilient mounting which permits a limited angular movementof the spinner in response tothe unbalanced centrifugal forces, but constantly urges the basket into its normal upright position. When such a resilient mounting is employed, the unbalanced mass pulls the basket to one side as it begins to rotate so that its axis inclines from the normal vertical position. The

loaded basket thus wobbles or gyrates unsteadily about its mounting. As the speed of rotation increases the basket finally is restored to a position in which its axis remains almost stationary and the aforesaid unsteady gyration is reduced to a practical minimum. In the process of reaching this stage of equilibrium, howevenit will be apparent that the unsteady gyrations of the basket must result in rather severe vibration of the machine with consequent increase in bearing wear and a tendency to loosen the joints of the assembly. Furthermore the increased inertia of the gyrating basket imposes a greater load on the motor with a resultant increase in power consumption.

It is an object of my invention to provide a spinner construction which will overcome to a large extent the aforementioned difliculties and which, in use, will more rapidly reach a state of equilibrium; that is to say,- a constructionin which the time interval during which unsteady gyration continues is considerably shortened, so that, upon starting, the spinner will balance itself very rapidly.

Under certain conditions of operation it is possible that a spinner of the type heretoforeknown will not reach a'condition of equilibrium at all, but will continuetmgyi'ate with its axis awayfrom the vertical even after it has reached its maximum speed. Thus, I have observed in connection with certan prior constructions that 5 with a. smallunbalanced load in the basket,- such as produced when a single wet towel is placed therein at one side of the bottom, the basket'will not pick up and find its true center. It-is,-therefore, a further object of my inventionto provide 'a self-balancing] basketwhich will over? come the unbalancing eifect of eccentric loading under any and allnormal conditions of operation.

balancing centrifugal spinner which is adapted for use in conjunction with existin'gtypes of drying machines. i

A further object is' to provide a spinner constructionwhich will produce only a minimum of vibration, thus permitting the useof flexible or resilient mountings for the driving means. Other objects and advantages will appear as the description proceeds. I I v In the drawing I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the view selected for illustration being an elevational view, partly'in section, of a centrifugal drying basketand resil ient supporting and driving means therefor.

In the usual domestic machine the drying unit is associated with a washing unit, the two units being mounted on 'a single framework. Such a combination washer and drier is shown in my copending application Serial Number 86,522 filed June 22, 1936, and the centrifugal drier which forms the subject of the present invention is adapted to be employed in such a combination if desired.v The spinner consists of a perforated basket I which preferably is of cylindrical form having its side walls sloping inwardly at the top, 40 as at 2. The edgeof the inwardly sloping wall portion 2 may convenientlyterminate in an inwardly extending flange which as shown is provided with a curled-edge 3 serving to prevent the water from splashing out at the top. w v

The bottom of the basket I is aflixedto a shaft 4 carried by a'gear case 5 which in turnjis yieldably or flexibly secured toatheframework cf the machine. This yieldable connection should be located in line with the vertical axisvof the 50 basket I. For this purpose in1the embodiment illustrated the'gearcase 5 .is provided; with a downward extension 6, preferablysquare in cross section. Surrounding the extension 6; is a bushing 1, of rubber or other resilient material. A,

A more specific object istoprovide a'self sleeve 8 is rigidly secured to a metal supporting strap 8 which in turn is secured directly to the frame of the machine. The sleeve 8 and strap 9 together provide a socket to receive the extension 6 of the gear case with its surrounding bushing l. A shouldered disc ill, of rubber or other resilient material, backed by a metal disc II, is secured to the lower end of extension 6 by means of a bolt l2 passing thru an aperture in the supporting strap v9 so that the latter is clamped between the resilient bushing 1 and disc It. In this manner the basket I is yieldably mounted on the fixed supporting strap 9 at a point in line with the axis of the basket. This mounting, or such equivalent mounting as it may be desired to employ, permits the axis of the basket to incline thru an angle from the vertical, the angle of inclination being restricted however within narrow limits. This permits the axis of the basket to gyrate about its normal vertical position while being constantly urged to ward its normal position by the rubber bushing I and disc Ill. 7

If desired, radial springs is secured at one end to a flanged collar l4 affixed to the gear case 5, and at the other end to the frame of the machine, may be provided to assist in restoring the basket to its normal position. The disposition of these radial springs It may be asymmetric as described inmy copending application referred to hereinabove. The connection of the springs II to the frame may be adjustable; for example, the springs may be connected to pins I5 adiustably secured in brackets l6 attached to the frame.

The basket I is surrounded by a chamber which I have indicated diagrammatically by dotdash lines l1, and suitable means are provided for sealing the opening thru which the drive shaft extends, as for example the flanged tube i8, which is secured to the bottom of the cham ber 16 and the upper end of which is connected to the shaft by means of a flexible bushing or sealing member la. The driving means may be of the construction disclosed in my copending application above referred to. A driving couple is indicated at 20 and this couple may form a part of a universal connection to the shaft of a motor (not shown). shaft 4 within the gear case 5 may comprise helical gears, and may also include a suitable clutch mechanism, these details not comprising a part of the present invention.

I have found that by increasing the mass of the upper end of the basket I the spinner will quickly balance itself upon rotation, bringing the axis of the basket closely in line with its true vertical position. The increased mass so providedshould be uniformly distributed around the circumference of the basket as may be accomplished by the provision of a solid ring or collar 21 which is rigidly secured to the side walls of the basket by rivets 22 or other suitable attaching means. Instead of a continuous ring it would be possible to use a series of independent weights uniformly distributed around the periphery of the basket in such a way that the added mass is symmetrically arranged with respect to the axis of the basket. The term uniformly distributed mass as used in the specification and claims is intended to include such a series of independent weights as well as a continuous ring.

The tests which I have performed indicate that with a basket 10% inches in diameter; 14%

The drive to the araaaes inches deep, and weighing 18 pounds, the

of a ring adding aslittle as 12 pounds to the mass of the upper end of the basket will overcome the effect of an oilload in the form of wet clothing or other articles carried by the basket. I have found it desirable that the mass at the periphery of the upper portion of the basket be substantially greater than the mass of the basket adjacent to the bottom in :order to achieve an adequate self-balancing effeet. with this construction the gyroscopic eifect achieved brings the axis of the basket quickly to a fixed position. At the beginning ofrotation of the basket the upper end of its axis describes an orbit which is a function of the unbalancingeifect of the load and the restraining action of the resilient mounting. As the speed of rotation increases the gyroscoplc effect of the weighted upper end of the basket quickly reduces the size of this orbit until the axis reaches its true vertical position. At this point the novel spinner construction which I have described eliminates substantially entirely the effect of the unbalanced certifugal forces imposed by the loaded basket, causing it to rotate with little if any vibration.

The position and mass of the ring 2i may be varied somewhat to suit varying conditions, this depending in part on the magnitude of the resilient restoring forces applied by the rubber mounting or by the springs, or by both. It may also depend to a certain extent on the total mass of the basket I. It would seem perhaps that the location of an additional mass at a. distance from the point of support would increase the difllculty of bringing the basket into equilibrium because this mass is initially thrown out of line by the unbalanced load and exerts a centrifugal force normal to the axis of the spinner which must resist this force as a cantilever. beam. .1 have found, however, thatsuch an effect is more than compensated for by the inertia forces generated in the rotating mass when located in the manner I have described. The mass may be placed somewhat lower down on the upper-part of the basket, or it may be distributed over a greater portion of the length of the basket, but the center of the added 'mass should remain appreciably above the center of the basket. I prefer to bring the center of mass of the added weight as close as possible to the upper end of the basket.

If desired, the resilient mounting of the gear case 5 maybe replaced by a simple ball and socket connection or other flexible connection permitting a limited inclination of the axis of the basket. Alternatively, the rubber mounting may be retained but the springs I3 omitted.

Other modifications in the construction as specifically described may be made without departing from my invention and I have no intention of excluding any such modifications or equivalents of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. A centrifugal drier comprising a basket, a fixed support positioned below said basket, the lower part of said basket being connected to said fixed support by a resilient mounting, said mounting being arranged to provide for rotation of said basket about a substantially vertical axis, and a balancing mass rigidly associated with the upper part of said basket.

2. A centrifugal drier comprising a basket arranged for rotation about a vertical axis, means for rotating said basket, a flexible mounting for basketamngedattheaxisoi'rotationand below the basket, resilient means for urging said basket into a position in which its axis is substantially vertical, and a circular ring of substantial mass secured directly to said cylindrical 5 walls at the upper part oi. said basket.

cnanms n. uonesusmu. 

